Breast implant surgery can produce wonderful augmentation of the breasts, but it can also produce some complications. One of the complications that can be developed is the capsular contracture. This complication happens when there is a formation of scar tissue around the capsule that surrounds the breast implant. When the scar tissue hardens, it can start to contract the surrounding tissue that is why the breast can feel hard. It can also cause pain and discomfort for the patient.
Apart from what the patient feels, the appearance of the breast can also change. This is because of the tightening of the scar tissue. When this happens, the breast implants can also be pressured, and they can be deformed. This can also cause the breast implants to leak or rupture. When the breast implants used are saline, you will immediately see the result because the breast will look deflated. On the other hand, when the breast implants are silicone filled, the silicone can only leak slowly, and the deflated appearance may not appear.
The capsular contracture can occur months after the surgery to even years after the surgery. All of those who have implants in their body can be at risk of developing capsular contracture. Those who have them may observe that their breast appear as deformed. They may also feel tightness in their breast when they are at a certain position. Some may have rippling on the breast, and the breast may seem to appear similar to the roundness of a ball.
There are a few ways to treat capsular contracture. Some surgeons will break up the scar tissue manually by squeezing it, but this is no longer recommended by most surgeons. Instead, sound waves are used in order to break up the scar tissue. Some surgeons also give vitamin E in combination with anti-inflammatory medication to their patients.
Capsular contracture can also be treated by going through the surgery and having the scar tissue manually removed. The implants can be replaced too if you still wish to have implants. If the implants are still present in the body, there is still a chance for capsular contracture to occur. The only way one can be sure that the capsular contracture doesn’t return is to remove the implants.
Some patients have their implants removed simply because they don’t want to develop capsular contracture anymore. There is no way of telling whether you will have capsular contracture or not. It is a risk that you should be willing to take if you really want to augment your breasts.
There are some things that surgeons suggest you to do in order to help prevent capsular contracture from occurring. One of them is to massage the breasts constantly so that the scar tissue won’t grow around the implants. Some suggest taking in vitamin E after the surgery too.
When you have decided to go through a breast augmentation with implants, you should make sure that you find a certified surgeon to do it for you. This helps lessen your chance of developing other complications. You are already at risk of developing capsular contracture because of how your body might react to the presence of implants. Lessen your chance of developing other complications by carefully selecting your surgeon.